Lane Technical College Prep High School

Lane Technical College Preparatory High School (also known as Lane Tech) is a public 4-year selective enrollment magnet high school located in the North Center neighborhood on the north side of Chicago, United States. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district. Lane is one of the oldest schools in the city and has an enrollment of over four thousand students, making it the largest high school in Chicago.^[7] Lane is a selective-enrollment-based school in which students must take a test and pass a certain benchmark in order to be offered admission.^[7] Lane is one of nine selective enrollment schools in Chicago. It is a diverse school with many of its students coming from different ethnicities and economic backgrounds.^[8] To celebrate the school's diversity, Lane hosts dozens of ethnic clubs which help students learn more about other cultures as well as prepare for the International Days festivities.^[9] Lane's annual yearbook is called the Arrowhead. In 2011, Lane Tech opened up an Academic Center for 7th and 8th grade students. This program is accelerated. The Academic Center follows the selective enrollment policies.

School History

Founding

The school is named after Albert G. Lane, a former principal and superintendent. It was founded in 1908 and dedicated on Washington's Birthday in 1909, as the Albert Grannis Lane Manual Training High School.^[10] It originally stood at Sedgwick Avenue and Division Street.^[11] During the early years of the school's operation, the school was a manual training school for boys, where students could take advantage of a wide array of technical classes. Freshmen were offered carpentry, cabinet making, and wood turning. Sophomores received training in foundry, forge, welding, coremaking and molding. Juniors could take classes in the machine shop. Seniors were able to take electric shop which was the most advanced shop course.^[5]

By the 1930s, Lane had a student population of over 7,000 boys. Since the school's building was not originally planned for such a huge student population, a new site for the school was chosen, and the building was designed by Board of Education architect John C. Christensen. On its dedication day, September 17, 1934,^[5] the student body—over 9,000 boys—and faculty gathered at Wrigley Field and from there walked en masse several miles west to the new campus. (In 2008, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the school, a march was held from the school to Wrigley Field.)^[12] Lane's huge student body necessitated that classes be held in three shifts.^[5] That year (1934), the school name was changed to the Albert Grannis Lane Technical High School to reflect the school's expanding curriculum, but was known to all simply as "Lane Tech." In 2004, the school name was changed to Lane Technical College Prep High School to reflect a college preparatory mandate.

Contribution to World War II

During World War II, Lane Tech students ran drives to aid in the war effort. The drives generated over $3 million in war bonds, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and four Red Cross ambulances.

Student admission during the Cold War

Lane adopted a closed admission policy in 1958 on the school's 50th anniversary. All remedial classes were eliminated and only top tier students were admitted to the school. This coincided with the beginning of the space race between the United States and the USSR. Lane changed its educational policy to help ensure that the United States would not fall behind the Soviets in science and technology.^[5]

Admission of female students

In 1971, changes were made to the admission policy due to a drop in enrollment and lack of technical schools for girls. To solve the issue, Superintendent James Redmond recommended that girls be admitted to Lane Tech. The Chicago Board of Education concurred and girls were admitted as students for the first time. Due to a fear of having a drop in academic achievement, fifteen hundred male students protested the admission but the decision was not changed.^[5]

Campus

The west and rear of the school. The clock tower is visible to the right of center, and to the left of the taller smokestack.

Lane Tech is located on a 33-acre (13 ha) campus at the intersection of Addison Street and Western Avenue. The main building is similar to an A-shape and consists of four floors and a greenhouse as the fifth floor. Some unique features of the main building include a clock tower and a smoke stack.

Several fast food chains, restaurants, supermarkets, and specialty stores are located around the campus. The school is one of only three Chicago Public Schools that allows off-campus lunch.

Lane Stadium

During the spring 2007 season, Chicago city building inspectors declared Lane Stadium unsafe and condemned the eastern half of the stadium. The age of the stadium and the fact it was built on landfill raised concerns that using the stadium to full capacity would cause a structural collapse. Events affected were the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 graduating class ceremonies (moved to the UIC Pavilion located at the University of Illinois at Chicago), the annual Letterman versus Faculty Softball game, the annual Memorial Day assembly, and the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Pep Rally.^[13] Lane Stadium reopened September 7, 2007, with a new turf field. The stadium also features a new IHSA regulation track.

Memorial Garden

The Lane Tech Memorial Garden is located in the inner courtyard of the building and is dedicated to graduates who have lost their lives defending their country. At the east end of the formal garden is a bronze statue of a young Native American, created by the artist, J. Sazton. It is called, "Shooting the Stars" and it symbolically urges students to set their sights on lofty goals.^[14]

At the west end of the Memorial Garden is the Ramo I. Zenkich Memorial, consisting of a flag pole and granite monument inscribed with the names of the students from Lane Tech who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The Memorial Garden was rededicated in 1995. During the school's 90th anniversary celebration in 1998, a commemorative plaque was placed near the "Shooting the Stars" statue. It explains the significance of the Memorial Garden to Lane Tech and its students.

As a filming location

Lane has been the site of various filming locations. The movie The Express, starring Dennis Quaid, was filmed during the 2006–2007 school year in Lane Tech stadium.^[15] Lane's stadium was also used for some parts of the 1986 movie, Wildcats, starring Goldie Hawn and Swoosie Kurtz.^[16] The 33-acre (13 ha) campus was also used in a scene in the movie High Fidelity, filmed on the east lawn of the Lane Tech campus.^[17]

Art collection

Seven frescoes in the lunchroom by Edgar Britton titled Epochs in the History of Man, four fresco panels in the auditorium foyer titled The Teaching of Art by Mitchell Siporin, a painted fire curtain in the auditorium by John Walley, six mahogany panels titled Evolution of the Book and five panels titled Control of the Elements in the library by Peter Paul Ott were all acquired with Federal New Deal funding between 1939 and 1941. Charles Umlauf's sculptures are located in the courtyard. Murals created for A Century of Progress, Chicago's second World's Fair, are displayed throughout the building.^[18]

Academics

Honor level courses are offered to qualified students. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are available in English, history, math, science, art, music, computer science and world languages. Students can also replace their normal physical education classes with a class in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). The program sponsors the Proctors Club, Color Guard, Honor Guard, Drill Platoon, Drum & Bugle Corps, and Raiders of Lane.^[19] As of 2011, Lane has an 88.5% graduation rate and scored 88.0% on the Prairie State Achievement Exam.^[20]

Athletics

Lane offers many sports including, but not limited to baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross-country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, and water polo.^[21] Lane garners, on average, 7-10 city-championships per year and has won 16 state championships since 1908 giving its nickname of "The School of Champions". Numerous Lane Tech athletes have competed beyond the high school level and achieved success at the college level and beyond....^[5]

In 1934 the NFL-champion Chicago Bears held their practices for the Chicago College All-Star Game at Lane Tech.^[22]

Notable alumni

Edgar Bergen (r)

• Tony Alcantar is an actor and acting teacher.^[23]
• Leonard Baldy was a pioneering Chicago Police officer and helicopter traffic reporter.
• Franz Benteler was a classical violinist and leader of the Royal Strings Orchestra.^[24]
• Edgar Bergen was a ventriloquist, actor, and radio performer, best remembered for creating Charlie McCarthy.^[25]
• Rod Blagojevich is a former Governor of Illinois (attended for a short time before transferring).^[26]
• Cyron Brown is a former lineman who played in the NFL and AFL.^[27]
• Buzz Capra is a former Major League Baseball pitcher (1971–77).^[28]

John Komlos

• Phil Cavarretta was a Major League Baseball player (1934–55). He spent most of his playing career with, and briefly managed the Chicago Cubs.^[23][25][28]
• Ertharin Cousin is executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
• Len Church was a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1966).^[28]
• Bill Daily is an actor (I Dream of Jeannie, The Bob Newhart Show).^[29]
• Frank Dasso was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1945–46).^[28][30]
• Anna Davlantes is a news anchor at WMAQ-TV Chicago.^{[11][23][25][31]}
• Otto Denning was a Major League catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1942–43).^[28]
• DJ Colette (Colette Marino) is a house music singer and DJ.^[32]

Admiral Richard W. Mies

• George J. Efstathiou is an architect at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (Burj Khalifa, Chicago Symphony Center).^[11]
• Dan Evans is a former General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and is a baseball executive who was in the Class of 1978.
• John Felske is a former Major League Baseball player and manager.^[28]
• Bill Fischer was a lineman for the Chicago Cardinals (1949–53). A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, he won the Outland Trophy in 1948.^[23]
• Michael Flanagan class of 1980 is a former congressman.
• Neal Gabler is an author and political commentator.^[25]
• Carl Giammarese is a singer and guitarist who co-founded The Buckinghams.^[25]
• Earl Gillespie was a sports broadcaster for the Milwaukee Braves and Green Bay Packers
• Fred Goetz, mobster implicated in the Saint Valentine's Day massacre.^[33]
• Ron Gora was a swimmer who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.^[23][25]

Rachel Barton Pine

• Bato Govedarica is a former player for the Syracuse Nationals (1953–54).^[23]
• Seymour Greenberg was a national champion tennis player.^[34]
• Dwight D. Guilfoil Jr., manufacturing executive, advocate for disabled workers
• Herbert Hans Haupt was a Nazi spy during World War II who was executed by the U.S. Government for his role in Operation Pastorius.
• Dennis Hejhal is a mathematician at the University of Minnesota.
• Arndt Jorgens was a Norwegian-born catcher (1929–39), playing his entire career for the New York Yankees.^[28]
• Orville Jorgens was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (1935–37).^[28]
• John Komlos is a professor of economics at the University of Munich. He helped found the field of anthropometric history.^[35]

John Podesta

• Frankie Laine was a singer, songwriter and actor. One source notes that Laine's stage name was taken from the school.^[25][36][37]
• Ed Linke was a Major League Baseball pitcher (1933–38).^[28]
• Justina Machado is an actress (Six Feet Under).^[23][25]
• Irv Medlinger was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Browns (1949, 51).^[28]
• Richard W. Mies is a former U.S Navy admiral who served as head of the United States Strategic Command.^[25]
• Kevin Moyers is a writer (Scorn) and independent film actor.
• Ken Nordine is a voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of Word Jazz albums.^[25][38]
• Louis Trinca-Pasat is an American football defensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL).
• Rachel Barton Pine is a violinist (Honorary Alumna)^[31][39]
• John Podesta is the former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.^[11][23][25]

Johnny Weissmuller

• Fritz Pollard is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the first African-American to be a head coach in the NFL.^{[23][25][40][41]}
• Marty Robinson was an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning voice-over announcer at WTTW.^[23]
• Richard Schroeppel is a mathematician.
• Jill Soloway is a 2014 Golden Globe-winning producer and writer, known for Transparent (2014), Six Feet Under (2001) and Afternoon Delight (2013).
• Dave Spector is a television personality in Japan.^[25]
• Jim Suchecki is a former MLB player (Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates)
• Genndy Tartakovsky is an Emmy Award-winning animator (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars).^[11]
• Laken Tomlinson is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL).
• Dick Triptow is a former NBL and NBA player (1944–49).^[42]
• Tung Thanh Tran is an actor (Good Morning, Vietnam).^[43][44]
• Phil Weintraub was a Major League Baseball player (1933–38, 44–45).^[28]
• Johnny Weissmuller was a five-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who later became an actor, best known for his portrayal of Tarzan in the MGM film series 1932–42.^[23][25][45]
• Andy Varga is a former MLB player (Chicago Cubs).
• Joe Vodicka was a football player.
• Steve Wilkos is a talk show host (The Steve Wilkos Show) and former bodyguard (The Jerry Springer Show).^[31]
• Bob Weiland is a former MLB player (Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals)
• Jim Woods is a former MLB player (Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies)
• Earl Zindars was a composer of jazz and classical music.
• Adrian Zmed is an actor (TJ Hooker, Dance Fever).^[23][25][46]
• Towkio is a rapper and producer. http://www.redeyechicago.com/music/redeye-towkio-wav-theory-interview-cover-20150427-htmlstory.html

References

Further reading

• Kosell, Edward (Loyola University Chicago). "A Historical Study of Vocational Education in the Chicago Public and Technical and Vocational High Schools, 1917-1963" ([ Archive]; PhD thesis). June 1965.

External links

• Lane Tech Website
• The Warrior, the school newspaper
• Lane Tech campus view from above